Quakes (0-4-0) are shut out 5-0 by Los Angeles FC

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 9: Chris Wondolowski (8) and the San Jose Earthquakes walk off the field after losing 3-0 to Minnesota United FC in a MLS game at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, March 9, 2019. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

SAN JOSE >> San Jose goalkeeper Daniel Vega attempted to clear the ball and completely whiffed, allowing LAFC forward Carlos Vega to dribble the ball into the net eight minutes into the game.

It was plays like that in Saturday’s embarrassing 5-0 loss that made new coach Matias Almeyda close the locker room for 75 minutes after the game to discuss what went wrong, well beyond the normal allotted time.

From start to finish, Saturday marked one of the worst losses in San Jose’s 21-year MLS history, as LAFC dominated the Quakes at Avaya Stadium.

By the end, the LAFC supporters section — which was larger and louder than the Earthquakes’ section from the opening whistle — was chanting “We Can’t Hear You” and “This is Our House” in the visiting stadium.

The Quakes (0-4-0) had at least been competitive in their first three games under Almeyda, outscoring their opponents 2-1 in the first half before being outclassed 8-0 after the break. But even the silver lining of a fast start wasn’t there, as LAFC (4-0-1) added to its league-leading points total in its second year.

“There are moments in sport that are sour, like this one,” Almeyda said through a translator. “You are confronted with the reality. I’m not at all happy. I started a process that for the first time as a head coach that I lose by five goals. As a player, I never experienced this either … honestly the game was disastrous.”

“It’s not just one guy, it’s not just three guys. It’s not offense, it’s not defense,” captain Chris Wondolowski said. “It’s 11 guys, it’s 30 guys that need to be on the same game plan, the same page. That’s what it makes it special, and when it does click it’s beautiful, and when it doesn’t, it hurts.”

There has clearly been a disconnect between Almeyda and the players this season. In the previous home game, Almeyda wanted crosses on the ground and the Quakes sent most services through the air in a 3-0 loss to Minnesota. On Saturday, he said the plan was not to have a flat back line, only to see LAFC score early on a flat back line.

Despite being outscored 14-2 to open the season — even with three of the four games at home — Almeyda said he wouldn’t make drastic changes to his man-marking, offensive-minded system.

“I am looking for a style of play and even if (the opponent) were to score 10 goals, I’d have the same mentality because I like a certain style of soccer,” Almeyda said. “I would never play defensively, for example with a 5-4-1 formation.”

Almeyda also said that he was just at the start of a four-year process. That doesn’t bode well for a player such as Wondolowski, who is one goal shy of tying the MLS goal-scoring record of 145, but has yet to record a shot on goal in 360 minutes.

“We can eventually get there, but it’s one game at a time,” Wondolowski said. “The good news for us is we still have 30 games left.”San Jose had only lost by five goals two other times as an MLS franchise, when Dallas won 5-0 in a regular-season game at Buck Shaw Stadium on Aug. 17, 2014, and two seasons ago in the 2017 playoffs at Vancouver.